Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Day 8 Monday, May 13, 2024

 

May 13 Monday

Today marks the first full week of our trip! We have been able to see and learn so much about the people, culture, food, and climate (namely the humidity). We have visited places including Hanoi, Sapa, and Ha Long Bay which all have their own wonderful characteristics.

This morning, we left for the airport at 6am to head to Da Nang. We got everyone checked in and through security, then we ventured to find the closest coffee shop. For most, we were able to have a little taste of home and got Starbucks. A few also did a little shopping in the airport before getting on the one-hour flight to Da Nang.

We arrived in Da Nang at about 10:30am, hopped on the bus, then were on our way to Marble Mountain. The Marble Mountains are a cluster of 5 marble and limestone hills named after the five elements: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. Not only are these mountains visually stunning, but they also have historical, cultural, and religious significance. Each of the mountains has caves, pagodas, and temples.  

Marble Mountain

Cave

We were lucky enough to tour the water mountain. We went into many caves inside the mountain that had statues of Buddhist figures. One of these caves had three holes in its ceiling with lighting poking through since we were there about noon. Tony, our tour guide, said that the figures can only be seen with natural light, which only comes through during the noon hour, so we came at the right time. Tony said that the three holes represent Buddha. 

Buddah

Tony explained there are two types of Buddhism in Vietnam and more than 60% of Vietnamese people practice some form of Buddhism. One form of Buddhism is practiced in the North and the other type is practiced largely by the central and southern part of Vietnam, however, everyone studies to try to reach enlightenment. The Vietnamese believe in karma, a word we are familiar with but means more to their culture. They believe that as long as they do good things to people and nature, they will achieve enlightenment.

We continued our hike up the mountain to River Watching Tower where we were able to look down and see the other mountains as well as some of the city. In fact, there were mountains within the city itself, which is very different from South Dakota! At this spot, we were also able to see a chair that was made for the king to sit in when he visits.

After the hour and a half hike up and through the mountain, we cooled off with some water and ice cream. Some of us bought marble figurines from local shops at the base of the mountain. After this, we headed to lunch, which consisted of a lot of seafood! After lunch we headed to the hotel to change into swimsuits and enjoy the rest of the day on MyAn Beach. Many of us had never been in an ocean, so this was certainly a highlight.

Beach

After a few hours on the gorgeous beach, which none of us wanted to leave, we met for supper and celebrated Dr. Daly’s birthday! https://sdsu.box.com/s/0mfua5vogxqsm2indn72kas3h768envh

Supper

Happy Birthday to Dr. Russ Daly!

Some of us enjoyed the rooftop pool after supper. Overall, today was a very relaxing day that we all enjoyed! 

-          Autum Wittstruck and Katelyn Winberg

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